Conservation Projects in Borneo

Conservation in Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan and Brunei

Conservation projects on a significant, world scale are vital to combat the
severe effects of human population growth and deforestation due to economic and
environmental pressures of vast palm oil plantations development, mining of huge
and remote mineral wealth, forest burning for subsistence farming, and other
threats on the rapidly declining tropical forest acreages. Seasonal wide-scale
air pollution, destruction of coastal coral reefs, and mangrove forests, and the preservation of sustainable fish stocks also require urgent attention.

On the positive side, the WWF reported that more than 350 new species, which
include insects, fish, frogs, and lizards have been discovered in Borneo.
Amongst the 361 new species discovered were a catfish in 2003, and a giant
cockroach, believed to be the largest in the world, in 2004. Other species
discovered in Borneo between 1994 and 2004 include 260 insect, 50 plant, 30
freshwater fish, 7 frog, 6 lizard, 5 crab, 2 snake, and a toad species.

Apart from orang-utans and
rhinos, Borneo is home to other threatened species such as the clouded leopard,
the sun bear, and the gibbon. The WWF believes there may be many more plants and animal species still to be
discovered. In 2010 an image was taken of the elusive Borneo rhino.
(Source WWF)

Borneo Conservation Projects

Several Charities and the WWF operate conservation projects in different parts of Borneo.

The Heart of Borneo Project, a major conservation project has been launched a few years ago,
which has gotten official support from Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Brunei has established a National Heart of Borneo Council. The Heart of Borneo Project is backed by the WWF.